SOURCES OF INFORMATION
DOWNLOADS FROM MEETINGS
Form SS-5: Why and How to Request an Ancestor’s Application for a Social Security Number – Presented at JGSWVO meeting, November 2022 by Michael Sussman
Say What? Tips and tricks for Deciphering Difficult Handwriting – Presented at JGSWVO meeting, November 2022 by Michael Sussman
“Know Thyself: A Search for One's Biological Identity” from a May 2016 PowerPoint presentation by Aaron Weiss, describing strategies for using DNA testing to search for and locate relatives and the use of DNA analysis to find biological parents of an infant adopted 85 years ago.
Introduction to Preservation of Family Heirlooms
Presented at JGSWVO meeting, February 2016 by:
Pamela E. Endzweig, Ph.D., RPA
Director of Collections & Senior Research Associate
Museum of Natural and Cultural History & State Museum of Anthropology
1224 University of Oregon / Eugene, OR 97403-1224
Researching USCIS Records
(handout from Marian L. Smith presentation of October 15, 2015)
OTHER DOWNLOADS
Practicing Safe Computing - a series of articles by Hal Bookbinder
THE INTERNET
Excellent starting points for beginners:
JewishGen: Almost everything you could hope to find in one place regarding Jewish genealogy research.
—Register surnames and towns at JewishGen Family Finder (JGFF) and search the existing listings.
—Read the JewishGen FAQ written and updated frequently by Warren Blatt.
—Peruse the JewishGen Infofiles for articles of interest. These are catalogued by subject and country.
—Join SIGs (Special Interest Groups). Many have discussion forums.
Search the databases
Indexes of microfilmed records mostly from Poland. Put in the family name you are searching, use the Daitch-Mokotoff Soundex system to start with, choose a town if you know it, or search by country.
JewishGen Gazetteer
Find the possible location of a shtetl, town or city. You will learn the latitude and longitude and distance from a large city. Click on the coordinates and go to a map of that area, with your shtetl at the center.
Jewish Online Worldwide Burial Registry (JOWBR) Database of more than three million names and other identifying information from cemeteries and burial records worldwide. See contents of the JOWBR cemetery inventory.
OTHER INTERNET SITES OFFERING USEFUL INFORMATION
SteveMorse.org — An amazing collection of useful genealogical research tools and other interesting items from Stephen P. Morse, developer of the one-step Ellis Island research tool.
The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation — All the records you always wanted to access. If any family members came through Ellis Island, look for them here. Search the database in one step. You can also search for immigrants who came in to other ports from Boston to San Francisco.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Where to write for Vital Records:
Birth, Death, Marriage, Divorce - details for all of the United States
JDC Archives — The JDC Archives documents the relief, rescue and rehabilitation activities of the JDC from its founding in 1914 to the present. Its holdings include over 3 miles of text documents; over 100,000 photographs; a research library of 6,000 books; and approximately 1,500 audiovisual materials, including 200 oral histories.
Yad Vashem Reference & Information Services — A compilation of sources for tracing individuals during or after the Shoah.
The Central Database of Shoah Victims’ NamesThe searchable database prepared by Yad Vashem, with the assistance of other institutions, now includes the names of approximately half the six millions victims of the Nazis.
Czestochowa-Radomsko Area Research Group finds, translates, and types Holocaust survivor lists and death lists from around Poland. This database, with over 250,000 records and covering hundreds of towns, consists of more than 100 separate projects and is one of the largest on the Web.
Topographic Maps of Eastern Europe
JGSWVO member Hap Ponedel created a website with the primary goal of gathering a wide variety of online map resources for the Jewish genealogist. The next step is to include clickable indexes covering the entire Jewish Pale of Settlement.
Detailed 1910 maps of Central Europe — Click on any section and then enlarge it to see every village, hamlet, shtetl and dorf existing at that time. The sections can be downloaded and printed.
Maps of Eastern Europe — From the University of Texas in Austin.
Yizkor Book Collection: New York Public Library
Over 600 books are available online in their entirety.
Centropa — “Connecting the world to the lands of Jewish heritage.” This is a beautifully designed site that includes thousands of photos and stories from those who remained in Europe during World War II.’
avotaynuonline.com — Jewish genealogy and family history
Index to the First Twenty-one Volumes of AVOTAYNU — An index searchable by topic, covering selected major articles and excerpts from two regular sections. Invaluable resource for anyone looking for in-depth material on a wide range of Jewish genealogical topics
Old Disease Names Frequently Found on Death Certificates — A great asset to help determine ancestors’ health issues.
Cyndi's List — over 300,000 links. A comprehensive resource for people of all backgrounds.
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Lists — search for family members by name, ship, port of arrival.
RootsWeb — a wide-ranging collection of links and resources. The Web's oldest and largest free genealogy site.
Ancestry.com — Great source of paid and no-cost information, including the free Family Tree Templates & Pedigree Charts .
FamilyTreeDNA — A fee-based service that will produce a DNA profile. A valuable resource when you can’t go any further with genealogy records. Founder Bennett Greenspan spoke to JGSWVO in February, 2007.
Filmakers’ Library: Jewish Studies — A large number of documentaries for sale or rental.
Search Systems
Very large compilation of FREE public records databases online. Well organized. Categories include: national, individual state, Canada. It also has a brief general Global listing. Databases include information on specific individuals related to: occupational licensure, property tax assessments, loan payment default, corporations, nonprofit organizations, inmates, sex offenders, court cases, pensions, military, unclaimed property, death, birth.
Information to be found:
Profession, home value, criminal and/or disciplinary convictions, current and/or previous addresses, vital statistics, formal education, others in household.
LOCAL:
Oregon Genealogical Society & Research Library
955 Oak Alley
541-345-0399
Located in Eugene, the society holds monthly meetings that are open to all and possesses a large amount of research material.
Eugene Public Library
100 W. 10th Ave.
541-682-5450
The Eugene Public Library has a subscription to Heritage Quest online. Anyone can access this FREE from the library Special Database computers on the 2nd floor, along with the Ancestry Library Edition. You can access Heritage Quest from home if you are a library member (Ancestry is currently available from home for library members).
University of Oregon Knight Library
541-346-3054
LDS Family History Center (Mormon)
3550 W. 18th Ave.
541-343-3741
Visit the LDS Family Search site
OTHER NORTHWEST GENEALOGY RESEARCH GROUPS
Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon
Meetings normally held September through June
Ahavath Achim, 3225 SW Barbur Blvd, Portland, Oregon
Jewish Genealogical Society of Oregon Yizkor Book Collection
This book collection is hosted by Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, and commemorates Jewish life as it existed in Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The titles represent over 150 Jewish communities and depict a way of life that has been lost forever. It is the only major collection in the Pacific Northwest and one of only a few dozen in the world. Find a lost family branch or discover more about your ancestral hometown.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Washington State
Meets on the second Monday of each month from September through June
Most meetings are held at the LDS Factoria Building in Bellevue, 4200 124th Ave. SE
Free admission
Clark County Genealogical Society
Located in Vancouver, WA. An active group with many resources for research in its area.
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